Hi,
i am looking to be a used car, approx 3 years old and have narrowed it down to 2 cars -
the Subaru Legacy 2.5 and the Mazda 6 2.3 Sport.
Would appreciate any views & experiences on the 2 cars and which would be the better choice
Edited by Pugugly on 03/09/2008 at 18:20
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I should say i amy even consider an Accord 2.4 Type S
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There were problems with the Head Gaskets on the 2.5 Subaru, I think later models had improved ones fitted, but replacement is an engine-out job.
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I have an 04 plate 2.5 legacy estate and I am very happy with it bar the ratios on the auto box which are bit fussy. There are a lot fans of this car here
I haven't heard about the head gasket problem
Can't comment on the Mazda
What are the costs of the two vehicles?
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The Legacy is £6000 for a 2.5 SE saloon 2005
The Mazda is £7000 for a 2.3 Sport 2005
The mazda seems to hold its value better though
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The supply of spares via Mazda UK is very hit and miss. For my 53 reg 323, I had to wait four weeks for a front exhaust and that was only after I pushed Mazda and the dealer very hard. We have recently had to wait 10 weeks for an HT Lead for our 57 reg Mazda 2.
The cars are very good when they're running OK. When they're not, Mazda doesn't provide an adequate aftersales service.
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Given my brief internal look at a Mazda 6 a couple of weeks ago, and the discussion that followed on here after I reported, the general concensus is that Subaru are a couple of notches above Mazda in overall quality of build and design.
As the owner of a 3 litre Subaru, I can say that the car performs faultlessly at all times and the over quality of fixtures etc is very high. The cars looks the same way internally as the day I bought it almost two years ago. Through my own fault, I needed to buy a rear bumper not long after I bought it and it took only a few days to arrive and other minor bits were similarly prompt in arriving.
The Mazda is very nice, but more of a comparison with a Mondeo (good cars that they are). The Subaru is IMHO closer to Audi/Merc/BMW class and probably a lot better for reliability.
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The head gasket problem was on earlier cars IIRC. As a long term owner of Subarus you can guess my recommendation. Go and drive one is the best advice, I think you'll prefer it.
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Also be aware of the corrosion issues with the mazda 6 body. Mine particularly wich is slightly older 52 has had the rear wheel arches repainted under warranty but mazda will not do anything about a rust bonnet ( Bubbling from the inside) nor the front wheel arches which are also bubbling near the door. Seen many a 6 with these problems.
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>For my 53 reg 323, I had to wait four weeks for a front exhaust>
Was this a petrol 323 and couldn't any of the national exhaust chains supply one? I had difficulty sourcing something as mundane as an air filter element for my diesel 323.
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A petrol 323 - and no, at the time (October 2005) the national chains didn't have the part.
With our Mazda 2, Mazda only sourced a Ford HT Lead (the car is based on the Fiesta/Fusion) after my insistence - and a 10 week wait.
Their customer service is extremely poor. For example if you raise an issue with Mazda customer service they allocate a case manager - but the case managers are in a different building to the customer service team who handle telephone calls. If you phone, all the customer service team can do is to e-mail the case manager in the hope that they will come back to you - which invariably they don't. All the case managers do is to raise issues with the dealership, and then rely on the dealership staff to resolve issues.
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Interesting choice of two you've got there. The Legacy crew on here usually pitch up here uninvited ;-) when it's Mondeo, Vectra, Pug, you name it type of dilemma.
I had a 3.0 Legacy and now have the diesel. I'd echo all the comments on build quality and integrity. If I had to hand it back now the thing I'd most miss would be the grip and handling courtesy of the all wheel drive; great in the dry and massive in the wet.
Interesting but not too surprising to see the Mazda holding a bit more value but depreciation has never been a Subaru quality - which works well for people in your position! The Legacy might cost a bit more to fuel.
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The Legacy crew are here!!
Still happy with mine 3 years on - have an 05 SE Tourer.
Probably could be faster, not the cheapest in the world service wise, I've been happy with economy, 32 mpg over 60,000 miles, 35-39 on motorway, poor round town, but I don't use it much in that guise. Faultless reliability & they replaced a knackered headlamp unit under warranty without a quibble.
The SE spec is all that you need. Beware that if you need to seat 5 regularly, they're not that big in the back.
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I purchased a Legacy following some advice helpfully given by BR'ers. It replaced a shockingly poor Mondeo TDCI. A Subaru is not a car I would have otherwise considered.
I am happy to report that after 20,000 miles of hard driving the Subaru is still performing faultlessly. The grip and handling are beyond reproach and the car has a feeling of solidity that was missing from the Mondeo. There is no noticable wear to any of the trim and everything works perfectly.
I have owned a number of cars over many years, including Vauxhall, Ford, Audi, VW, BMW and Mercedes and I really do believe that the Subaru beats them all for both driving pleasure and durability. I was sceptical of the benefits of AWD in normal driving, but it really does make a difference to the stability and poise of the car, even on a smooth dry road.
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Not a Legacy, but my Impreza 2.0RX is now just over a year old and no problems with it. I 'upgraded' the brake pads to Mintex for a bit more 'bite' on a cold morning and the dealer did a free 'software upgrade' to the ECU which feels like its improved the power and torque.
Handling and roadholding is exemplary (much of my driving is on rural roads) and I certainly enjoy driving the car. Economy is about average for a petrol 2.0 litre (currently anything from 28-38mpg, depending on use). A committed Subaru fan now! I have yet to read of a Subaru owner who is actually unhappy with their car.
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